Sand and gas separator



Aug. 13, 1935. w. J. DUNLAP SAND AND GAS SEPARATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 22, 1932- EZ'ELEL JWENTUJL j WQZDUNLQP I WNW Aug. 13, 1935.

Patented Aug. 13, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,010,947 SAND AND GAS SEPARATOR William J. Dunlap, Long Beach, Calif.

Application December 22, 1932, Serial No. 648,424 21 Claims. (Cl. 1 03220) This invention relates to improvements in sand and gas separators.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved sand and gas separator construction which has been primarily designed for use in oil wells in conjunction with oil well pumps. Many wells penetrate formations wherein there is considerable formation pressure, that is, the pressure in the formation itself is capable of elevating the oil partially up the well to a certain level depending upon the formation pressure. From this level the oil must be pumped. The present construction is primarily designed for use in such wells and one of the principal functions is to permit the oil to be forced freely up to the pump level by the formationpressure. At the same time the construction is designed to effectively separate the gas from the oil and to separate sand from the oil and to keep the oil at the pump level from being contaminated by the sand and gas from the formation. Provision is also made to preserve the pressure in the well which elevates the oil to the pump level.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sand and gas separating construction having the above mentioned characteristics wherein a packer is used and an extensible connection is used in the tubing which also provides a jar. The purpose of the jar is to enable removal of the packer in the event that the packer has become frozen or stuck in the well and the extensible connection enables the upper portion of the tubing to vibrate freely under the action of the pump without disturbing or unseating the packer and without influencing any part uf the construction beneath the packer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sand and gas separating construction for oil well pumps consisting of an upper separator attachable to the pump and a lower separator located near the oil sand and to provide a packer between these two separators and a jar for the packer. i

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial view in vertical section illustrating the upper portion of the construction, that is, that portion which is attachable to the oil well pump, not shown.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a lower portion, the upper part of Figure 2 to be 5 considered as being attachable to the lower portion of Figure l.

Fig. 3 is a view at still a lower portion of the apparatus, the upper portion of Figure 3 being considered as attachable to the lower portion of Figure 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of still a lower portion of the apparatus. the upper portion of this figure being attachable to the lower portion of Figure 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the bottom of the apparatus and the upper portion of this figure may be considered as attachable to the bottom of Figure 4.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken substan- 2o tially upon the line 6-6 upon Figure 1.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line l-l upon Figure 2.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line 8-8 upon Figure 4.

Fig. 9 is a view in side elevation of the construction, parts being broken away to illustrate a complete assembly.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, parts being broken away to illustrate the internal eonstruction in vertical section.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,. wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, l0 designates a collar attachable to the bottom of any conventional oil well pump, this collar being connected to the bottom of the pump below the standing valve. From collar l0 there extends downwardly a long tube, this tube being formed by suitable sections of pipe connected together by conventional 001- lars. In the uppermost section of pipe there is formed an inlet H, this inlet being disposed opposite an inner tube I2. The inner tube is connected to a top closure l3 which forms a closure between the top of the inner tube and the uppermost section of pipe connected to collar l0. Partitions H, see Figure 6, connect the inner tube I2 to the outer tube and these partitions extend from closure l3 downwardly. The bottom of the inner tube I2 is closed by a removable closure 55 nected by a collar 38 to a nipple 39.

75 of which is closed as by a bull plug 50.

I2 so that the collar 2| is adjacent the bottom,

thus enabling the outer tube or pipe to be separated at a point where the removable closure l5 can be easily removed. A short distance below the bottom of the inner tube l2, which distance 5 may be one or two stands of pipe, there is provided a collar 23 which connects the pipe to a solid cylindrical bar 24. The lower end of this bar is threaded into a sleeve 25 which has diametrical slots 26 formed therein. In this sleeve there is slidable a bar 21 having a head 28 of such size as to snugly fit in the sleeve. The head on bar 21 is maintained therein by a nut 29 threaded into the bottom of the sleeve. A pin 30, see Figure '7, extends diametrically through the head and is locked therein by means of a set screw 3|.

The ends of this pin are slidable in the slots 26. This construction forms a type of jar and also provides an extensible connection in the tubing. While the bar 21 is slidable in the sleeve, it is 30 urged into its lowermost position by a coil spring 32, or as the equivalent of this a block of soft rubber could be interposed between head 28 and the bottom of solid bar 24. Bar 21 has its lower end connected by means of'a swedge nipple 33 to a packer generally designated at 34. The details of construction of this packer are immaterial and any conventional type of packer may be used for this purpose as desired. The function of the packer is merely to expand into engagement with the casing or the walls of the well, as the case may be, thus forming a closure between the upper portion of the well and the lower portion. In the preferred form of construction the thread, indicated at 35, which connects the bottom of bar 21 to the swedge nipple is a left hand thread thus constituting a safety joint permitting detachment of bar 21 and all upper structure from the lower construction if occasion should require. Outlets 36 are formed in the top of the packer, these openings providing an outlet above the packer for the interior of pipe 31 which is connected to the bottom of the packer. The pipe indicated at 31 may be only one or two stands of pipe, which in turn is con- Nipple 39 is internally threaded to receive a bushing 40, which in turn mounts a flow bean 4| having a restricted passage therethrough indicated at 42. On the top of the bushing there is mounted a cage 43 for a ball check valve 44, the seat for which is indicated at 45. From the bottom of nipple 39 the outer tube extends downwardly for a considerable distance, depending upon the depth of the well, and other circumstances. On a concrete example, you may have a well five thousand feet deep in which the pressure in the formation may be capable of forcing the oil up to the three thousand foot level and from this level the oil must be pumped. Under such circumstances the outer tube or tubing indicated at 46 may be fifteen hundred or two thousand feet long. At the bottom of this string of pipe there is a collar 41 connecting it to a nipple 4B and to this nipple there is secured an outer tube 49 the bottom Some preserving the formation pressure.

I jar to vibrate.

distance above the bull plug the outer tube has inlets 6|. The nipple 48 also carries an inner tube 52. This inner tube is in the form of perforated pipe having elongated narrow perforations. Its bottom is closed by a removable closure 53 which is located near a joint in the outer tube such as is provided by collar 54.

The operation and advantages of the improved construction are as follows. When the construction is set in the well the packer 34 is expanded, thus separating the top of the well from the bottom except for the passage through the packer from pipe 31 to outlet 36. The bottom of the construction shown in Figure 5 is located near the oil sand. The oil enters the'outer tube through inlets 5| and at this point a great deal of gas separation takes place, the gas rising and accumulating under the expanded packer 34, thus The oil enters the perforations in the perforated inner tube 52 and as this flow is highly distributed the sand that is in the oil has an opportunity to settle out. This sand which separates out settles and accumulates on the bull plug 50 in the bottom of the outer tube 49 which may extend down one or more stands of pipe below the bottom of inner tube 52. The oil entering the inner tube is elevated by the formation pressure through the long string of pipe indicated at 46. It may then pass through the flow bean 4| and past the check valve 44. It then flows through the packer and the oil thus elevated past the packer is comparatively free of gas and sand. After passing the packer, the oil passes outwardly through apertures 36 so as to get around the jar. the tubing through inlet and if any gas is still in the oil it may separate out at this point. The 011 must then flow downwardly to pass beneath the bottom of partitions l4 and then upwardly to enter the inlet Hi. This reversal of flow causes a further separation of sand to take place if any sand still remains in the oil. This sand settles downwardly and accumulates on the top of bar 24. The oil which enters the inner tube I 2 through inlet l6 then flows up through the flow bean l9 and into the pump and it is pumped from this level to the surface.

By having bean 4| located at the top of the lower outer tube 46 I find that emulsifying of the oil is effectively prevented. In my experiments I have found that where flow bean 4| is disposed near the bottom of the lower outer tube 46 that emulsification took place. This was remedied by elevating bean 4| to the top of the lower outer tube 46 so as to be disposed immediately below the packer.

In this construction it will be appreciated that it is possible to take advantage of the formation pressure, allowing the oil to flow freely to that level to which it can be elevated by the formation pressure. During this free flow sand and gas separation takes place. From the pumping level the oil is pumped and before entering the pump it is again subjected to a gas and sand separation so that the oil entering the pump is comparatively free of sand and gas.

The construction disclosed in Figure 2 provides a yieldable extensible connection for the tubing and also provides a jar. The action of the pump has the tendency to cause the tubing above the This it may freely do in the present construction without disturbing the packer or the construction therebelow. The vibrations are merely compensated for by com- It may then re-enter .which is above the disclosure in Figure 2, compressing the spring 32 or its equivalent rubber,

and then on pulling the tubing upwardly quite suddenly a jar will be imparted to the packer to break it loose. It will be noted that although there is an extensible connection disclosed in Figure 2, that the construction therein shown does not have the parts rotatable one relatively to the other. This enables the upper portion of the tubing to turn the packer, which is required in seatingand unseating. Also in the event that the packer has become so badly frozen that it cannot be jarred loose by the jar, the upper portion of the apparatus can be recoveredin that it may be turned toward the right to effect a separation at the threads 35, see Figure 3, which are left hand threads, thus providing a safety joint. The upper portion of the apparatus can thus be recovered with safety even though the packer has become so badly stuck in the well that it cannot be jarred loose.

From the above described construction it will be appreciated that the improved apparatus takes care of wells wherein there is sufficient formation pressure to partially elevate the oil to the surface. The improved apparatus handles these wells very efficiently in that it enables this formation pressure to be utilized to advantage, thus causing the oil to be pumped only from the pump level.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sand and gas separator for well pumps, an outer tube having a closed bottom, an inner tube having a removable closed bottom, the inner tube being perforated, there being inlets in the outer tube opposite the inner tube, means providing a closure between the top of the inner tube and the outer tube, and a flow bean installed in the outer tube some distance above the top of the inner tube.

2. In a sand and gas separator for well pumps, an outer tube having a closed bottom, an inner tube having a removable closed bottom, the inner tube being perforated, there being inlets in the outer tube opposite the inner tube, means providing a closure between the top of the inner tube and the outer tube, a flow bean instaled in the outer tube some distance above the top of the inner tube, and a check valve mounted over the flow bean.

3. In a sand and gas separator for well pumps, an outer tube having a closed bottom, an inner tube having a removable closed bottom, the inner tube being perforated, there being inlets in the outer tube opposite the inner tube, means providing a closure between the top of the inner tube and the outer tube, a flow bean installed in the outer tube some distance above the top of the inner tube, a check valve mounted over the flow bean, and a packer on the outer tube above the check valve.

4. In a sand and gas separator for well pumps, an outer tube having a closed bottom, an inner tube having a removable closed bottom, the inner tube being perforated, there being inlets in the outer tube opposite the inner tube; means providing a closure between the top of the inner tube and the outer tube, a flow bean installed in the outer tube some distance above the top of the inner tube, a check valve mounted over the new bean, and a packer on the outer tube above the check valve, the outer tube having outlets above the packer.

5. In a sand and gas separator for well pumps, an outer tube having a closed bottom, an inner tube having a removable closed bottom, the inner tube being perforated, there being inlets in the outer tube opposite the inner tube, means providing a closure between the top of the inner tube and the outer tube, a flow bean installed in the outer tube some distance above the top of the inner tube, a check valve mounted over the flow bean, a packer on the outer tube above the check valve, the outer tube having outlets above the packer, and a jar in the outer tube above the packer.

6. In a sand and gas separator for well pumps, an outer tube having a closed bottom, an inner tube having a removable closed bottom, the inner tube being perforated, there being inlets in the outer tube opposite the inner tube, means providing a closure betweenthetop of the inner tube and the outer tube, a flow bean installed in the outer tube some distance above the top of the inner tube, a check valve mounted over the flow bean, a packer on the outer tube above the check valve, the outer tube having outlets above the packer, and means providing a yieldable extensible connection in the outer tube above the packer.

'7. In a sand and gas separator for well pumps, an outer tube having a closed bottom, an inner tube having a removable closed bottom, the inner tube being perforated, there being inlets in the outer tube opposite the inner tube, means providing a closure between the top of the inner tube and the outer tube, a flow bean installed in the outer tube some distance above the top of the inner tube, a check valve mounted over the flow bean, a packer on the outer tube above the check valve, the outer tube having outlets above the packer, a jar in the outer tube above the packer, a second inlet in the outer tube .above the jar, and a second inner tube in the outer tube adjacent the inlet, said second inner tube having an inlet and a removable bottom closure.

8. A tubingstring for wells having a lower sand and gas separator having an inlet and an outlet, an upper sand and gas separator having an inlet and an outlet attachable to a well pump, and a packer between the separators, there being provision made for conveying fluid through the packer from the outlet of the lower separator to the inlet of the upper separator.

9. A tubing string for wells having a lower sand and gas separator having an inlet and an outlet, an upper sand and gas separator having an inlet and an outlet attachable to a well pump, and a packer and a jar between the separators, there being provision made for conveying fluid through the packer from the outlet of the lower separator to the inlet of the upper separator.

10. A tubing string for wells having a lower sand and gas separator having an inlet and an outlet, an upper sandand gas separator having an inlet and an outlet attachable to a well pump, and a packer and an extensible connection between the separators, there being provision made for conveying fluid through the packer from the outlet of the lower separator to the inlet of the upper separator.

11. A sand and gas separator for well pumps inner tube mounted in the outer tube above the packer, a second inner tube mounted in the outer tube below the packer, there being inlets in the outer tube adjacent the inner tubes, there being ingress provided to the inner tubes, and means forming closures between the upper ends of the inner tubes and the outer tubes.

12. A sand and gas separator for well pumps comprising an outer tube attachable to a well pump, said outer tube having a packer therein, an inner tube mounted in the outer tube above the packer, a second inner tube mounted in the outer tube below the packer, there being inlets in the outer tube adjacent the inner tubes, there being ingress provided to the inner tubes, and means forming closures between the upper ends of the inner tubes and the outer tubes, there being an outlet through the outer tube above the packer.

13. A sand and gas separator for well pumps comprising an outer tube attachable to a well pump, said outer tube having a packer therein, an inner tube mounted in the outer tube above the packer, a second inner tube mounted in the outer tube below the packer, there being inlets in the outer tube adjacent the inner tubes, there being ingress provided to the inner tubes, means forming closures between the upper ends of the inner tubes and the outer tubes, there being an outlet through the outer tube above the packer, and a jar in the outer tube above the outlets.

14. A sand and gas separator for well pumps comprising an outer tube attachable to a well pump, said outer tube having a packer therein,

an inner tube mounted in the outer tube above an inner tube mounted in the outer tube above the packer, a second inner tube mounted in the outer tube below the packer, there being inlets in the outer tube adjacent the inner tubes, there being ingress provided to the inner tubes, means forming closures between the upper ends of the inner tubes and the outer tubes, there being an outlet through the outer tube above the packer, and a jar in the outer tube above the outlets, there being a left hand thread between the jar and packer.

16. A device attachable to oil tubings in which are installed oil well pumps comprising an upper outer tube attachable at its top to a tubing, a packer on the upper outer tube for confining formation pressure therebelow, a lower outer tube connected to the packer, a sand separator in the lower outer tube, there being provision made for the ingress of oil into the lower outer tube through the sand separator, up through the packer, and a gas and sand separator in the upper outer tube enabling separation of gas from the oil after having been elevated past the packer and further separating the sand from the oil before entering the tubing and pump.

17. A device attachable to oil tubings in which are installed oil well pumps comprising an upper outer tube attachable at its top to a tubing, a

packer on the upper outer tube for confining Iormation pressure therebelow, a lower outer tube connected to the packer, a sand separator in the lower outer tube, there being provision made for the ingress of oil into the lower'outer 'tube through the sand separator, up through the packer, and a gas and sand separator in the upper outer tube enabling separation of gas from the oil after having been elevated past the packer and further separating the same from the oil before entering the tubing and pump, and means providing a limited extensible connection between the upper outer tube and the packer whereby vibrations in the oil tubing and upper outer tube will not be transmitted to the packer.

18. A device attachable to an oil well tubing in which there is an oil well pump comprising an outer upper tube attachable to the tubing, there being an inlet in the outer upper tube adjacent its top, an inner tube in the outer upper tube having an inlet therein, there being a baflle connecting the inner and outer uppertubes causing incoming fluid to pass downwardly beneath the baille on passing. from the inlet in the outer tube to the inlet in the inner tube, means forming a closure between the tops of the tubes, the top of the inner tube leading to the pump, a packer connected to the bottom of the outer upper tube, a lower outer tube connected to the packer, there being an outlet from the interior oi. the lower outer tube above the packer, and a sand separator mounted on the lower outer tube adjacent the bottom thereof.

19. A .device attachable to an oil well tubing in which there is an oil well pump comprising an outer upper tube attachable to the tubing, there being an inlet in the outer upper tube adjacent its top, an inner tube in the outer upper tube having an inlet therein, there being a batiie connecting the inner and outer upper tubes causing incoming fluid to pass downwardly beneath the baflie on passing from the inlet in the outer tube to the inlet in the inner tube, means forming a closure between the tops of the tubes, the top of the inner tube leading to the pump, a packer connected to the bottom of the outer upper tube, a lower outer tube connected to the packer, there being an outlet from the interior of the lower outer tube above the packer, and a sand separator mounted on the lower outer tube adjacent the bottomthereof, and a bean in the lower tube immediately below the packer.

20. A device attachable to an oil well-tubing in which there is an oil well-pump comprising an outer upper tube attachable to the tubing, there being an inlet in the outer upper tube adjacent its top, an inner tube in the outer upper tube having an inlet therein, there being a bafiie connecting the inner and outer upper tubes causing incoming fluid to pass downwardly beneath the baflle on passing from the inlet in the outer tube to the inlet in the inner tube, means forming a closure between the tops of the tubes, the top of the inner tube leading to the pump, a packer connected to the bottom of the outer upper tube, a lower outer tube connected to the packer, there being an outlet from the interior of the lower outer tube above the packer, there being an inlet in the side of the lower outer tube adjacent the bottom thereof, a perforated inner tube adjacent the inlet, and means forming a closure between the top of the perforated tube and the lower outer tube.

21. A device attachable to an oil welltubing in which there is an oil well pump comprising an outer upper tube attachable to the tubing, there being an inlet in the outer upper tube adjacent its top, an inner tube in the outer upper tube having an inlet therein, there being a baflie connecting the inner and outer upper tubes causing incoming fluid to pass downwardly beneath the battle on passing from the inlet in the outer tube to the inlet in the inner tube, means forming a 10 closure between the tops of the tubes, the top of the inner tube leading to the pump, a packer connected to the bottom of the outer upper tube, a lower outer tube connected to the packer, there being an outlet from the interior oi the lower outer tube above the packer, and means providing a limited extensible connection between the upper outer tube and the packer whereby vibrations of the upper outer tube will not be transmitted to the packer.

WILLIAM J. DUNLAP. 

